Almost three years on from his £26m move to Crystal Palace from Flamengo, fans are still yet to see much of a return on that investment from Matheus Franca.
In fairness to the Brazilian, he arrived in SE25 at the age of 19 while Roy Hodgson was still at the helm, a manager whose love of stagnant, defensive football even prevented Jean-Philippe Mateta from shining, let alone a teenager moving to a new country.
However, an unsuccessful loan spell back in Brazilian football with Vasco da Gama last term raised cause for concern.
Does Matheus Franca have a future at Crystal Palace? 🇧🇷
Since then, a hat-trick for Franca in the friendly against Swindon Town has restored some faith that the South American could finally come good, and a new photo suggests the man from Rio de Janeiro now has the physical capabilities to handle English football compared to when he first arrived at Selhurst Park.
Matheus Franca appears to have been working hard in the gym
Take a look at this image of Franca in his first season at Crystal Palace back in the 2023/24 campaign.
As you can see, the Brazilian was very skinny. That physique – coupled with Hodgson’s woeful attacking football – unsurprisingly saw him fail to make an impact.
Now, however, a new photo released by Crystal Palace of Franca arriving for training at Copers Cope tells a different story.
The Flamengo academy graduate seems stockier and appears to have filled out, which should help him compete more effectively against defenders in English football.
That was partly evidenced during the friendly against Swindon Town.
Of course, it was only a pre-season warm-up against a League Two side, but Franca looked dangerous and caused their backline a real headache in his 45 minutes of action, when he easily still could have been outfought physically in the friendly with his old physique.
There are rumours that Pierre Sage has no plans to use Franca next season and another exit on loan is likely, which would be a real disappointment if true.
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If it is true, then we sincerely hope the Brazilian can keep delivering special performances throughout pre-season and eventually change the Frenchman’s mind.
